


Into the Wild

by restlessGalaxy



Series: The Rewritten Prophecy Project [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, I have issues (tm) with canon and I want to add in my headcanons, Multi, Warrior Cats, warriors rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18655750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restlessGalaxy/pseuds/restlessGalaxy
Summary: "Fire will save our clan"A rewrite of Into the Wild (if the tags and title weren't a real give away) with changes and headcanons inserted in!





	1. Prologue

The half moon above glowed softly, the granite boulders turned silver from the light. The silence was only broken by the ripples of the swift black river and the whisper of the trees.

And then, the shadows stirred, and from all directions dark lithe shapes crept along over the rocks, claws glinting in the moonlight. As if with a silent signal, the creatures leapt at each other, the rocks now alive with wrestling, screaming cats.

At the very center, a massive dark tabby pinned a bracken-colored tom to the ground, head raised in triumph. "Oakheart!" The tabby growled. "How dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to us!"

"After tonight, this will be just another Riverclan hunting ground!" The other tom spat back.

A warning yowl came from the shore, anxious and high "Look out! More of them are coming!"

The tabby turned to see wet pelts sliding out of the water below the rocks. They bounded up the shore and threw themselves into the scuffle without even stopping to rid themselves of the water that clung to their fur.

The tabby, eyes dark as his pelt with a dangerous expression, glared down at the pinned cat below him. "You may swim like otters, but you do not belong in our forest!" He drew back his lips, bearing his teeth, as the one beneath him struggled.

The desperate screech of a she-cat rose above the clamor. A wiry tom had pinned the brown molly flat on her belly. The tom lunged towards her neck, jaws still dripping with water.

The tabby heard the cry, reluctantly letting go of the intruder. With a mighty leap, he knocked the tom off the she-cat. "Quick, Mousefur, run!" He barked, before turning on the one who threatened her. The brown molly scrambled to her paws, wincing from a deep gash on her shoulder, and raced towards safety.

The tabby, left behind, spat with rage as the tom sliced open his nose. He was blinded for an instant, but lunged forward regardless and sank his teeth into the hind leg of the enemy. He squealed and struggled free.

"Tigerclaw!" Yowled a tom with a tail as red as fox fur. "This is useless! There are too many of them!"

"No. We will never be beaten!" The tabby yowled back, leaping to the red tailed tom's side. "This is our territory!" Blood welled around his broad muzzle, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering droplets of scarlet onto the rocks below their paws.

"ThunderClan will honor your courage, but we cannot afford to lose any more warriors," The tom urged. "Bluestar would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat." He met his amber gaze steadily, then reared away and leapt onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.

"Retreat, ThunderClan! Retreat" He yowled. All at once, the cats, that all smelled of pine, squirmed and struggled away. Spitting and snarling, they backed towards the tortoiseshell tom. The lithe cats looked confused for a heartbeat. Was this battle so easily won? Then the tom the tabby had pinned down before let out a jubilant cry. As soon as they heard him the cats all raised their voices and joined him in caterwauling victory.

The red tailed tom looked down at the cats around him. With a flick of his tail, he gave the signal, and they dived down, disappearing into the trees.

The tabby followed last. He hesitated at the edge and glanced back at the bloody war grounds. His face grim and eyes furious slits. He then leaped after the others, into the silent forest.

* * *

 

In a deserted clearing, an old blue-grey she-cat sat, staring up at the night sky. All around her, she could her the breathing of resting cats.

A small tortoiseshell molly, with honeysuckle flowers stuck in her fur, emerged, her pawsteps delicate and swift.

The older she-cat dipped her head in greeting. "How is Mousefur?" She meowed.

"Her wounds are deep," Answered the molly, settling herself beside the other. "However, she is young and strong; she will heal quickly."

"And the others?"

"They will all recover, too."

The tired molly sighed. "We're lucky to not have lost any of our warriors this time. You are a truly gifted cat, Spottedleaf." She tilted her head again and studied the stars. "I am deeply worried by tonight's defeat. We have not been beaten in our own territory since I became leader," She murmured. "These are difficult times for the Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits. ThunderClan needs more warriors to survive."

"But the year is only just beginning," The gentle molly pointed out calmly. "There will be more kits once greenleaf arrives."

The elder of the two twitched her shoulders. "Perhaps. But training our own takes time. If we are to defend our territory, we must have new warriors soon."

"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" Meowed the tortoiseshell gently, following the other molly's gaze and staring up at the starts glittering in the night sky.

"It is at times like these we need the words of our ancestors to help guide us. Have they spoken to you?"

"Not for some moons."

Suddenly, a shooting star blazed over the treetops. The gentle molly's tail twitched and her fur bristled, gaze now distant.

The blue-grey she-cat's ears pricked, yet she remained silent as the other continued to gaze up.

After a few moments, her fur finally smoothed, and she turned to the blue-grey molly. "It was a message from StarClan," She murmured, deep in thought. "Fire alone can save our Clan."

"Fire?" The other echoed. "But fire is feared by all cats! How can it save us?"

The tortoiseshell shook her head "I do not know," she admitted. "But this is the message StarClan has chosen to share with me. We must trust in them."

The other fixed her blue eyes on the smaller molly. "I suppose so," She meowed. "If StarClan has spoken, then it is so. Fire will save our Clan."


	2. Chapter 1

In the dark of the night, in a warm bed, a small orange kitten woke up with a quiet startled mew.

He looked at something far away, mind swirling with thoughts of bloody battles, loss, moonlit rocks.. Dreams of these sort had been plaguing the little tom ever since the full moon.

He sat up, listening to his owners' soft breathing as they slept, almost considering not leaving the warmth of the two bodies and the bed. However, thoughts of his dreams led him away and to the kitchen.

He felt his belly grumble for food, and found himself glancing towards his bowl. However, he ignored it, instead going out the cat flap into the garden. The soft grass beneath his paws was more than welcome.

He admired the glittering stars and the lovely moon. He wished he could see that moon reflecting off the boulders in his dreams..

Light rain fell from the sky, he welcomed it, finding it refreshing, and padded towards the fence, leaping onto one of the posts. This was one of his favorite spots, he'd often meet his best friend here, and he could look at the other gardens, along with the forest. After the dreams had started popping up it became even more of a favorite.

He heard something behind him, and he twirled around, panicked, only to see another kitten, black and white, one he knew very well.

He calmed down, fur smoothing down, and he smiled. "Oh.. hey Smudge." Smudge looked at him concerned, he tilted his head and mewed "Rusty? Are your dreams still bothering you?"

He looked away, nodding. "This time there was a battle over these rocks near a river."

"Do you think they mean something?" "Possibly. I.. think I might want to go into the forest."

Smudge let out a surprised mrow, collar bell jingling "B-But what if you get hurt? I don't know what I'd do if you did!" Rusty went over to the worried tom, nuzzling against him. "Smudge.. I'll be fine. I promise."

He jumped down from the fence, and, giving one last glance back at Smudge, he stepped into the forest.

As he went deeper and deeper, he noticed the rain stopped, and then he heard the scuttering of tiny feet on the ground.

He stopped immediately, dropping low to the uncut grass. A little mouse skittering about, and he was determined to try to catch it.

He stepped forward carefully, making sure his bell wouldn't alert it. When he felt he could have a chance to catch it, he pounced.

Somehow, by some miracle, he caught it in his grasp, and was able to kill it. However just as he did so, something hit him hard, throwing him off to the side.

He turned to his attacker, seeing it was another kitten with long gray fur, and with a long stripe down his back to his tail. He got up, and leapt towards the kitten, landing on his back, but, not knowing what to do, ended up falling off.

He landed on his back, and then felt a soft pap against his belly. He peaked open his eye, and saw the gray kitten looking at him with a playful expression, paw now on his stomach.

"Hi! I'm Graypaw." He got up, still cautious of the other, but decided he wanted to return the other's friendliness. "I-I'm Rusty."

"Sorry for scaring you!" The other cat smiled apologetically "My mentor says I'm a bit too energetic for my own good. Are you a kittypet?" Graypaw tilted his head, staring at Rusty's collar.

"I don't know what a kittypet is.." "A cat owned by the twolegs!" "Oh. I guess I am. S-Sorry for entering your territory, if it is yours. I keep having dreams about big battles and the forest so I thought I ought to investigate.."

Graypaw gasped, and then giggled "I get that!! I bet they're really cool, I wish I had dreams like those, I haven't gotten into any big skirmishes 'cause I just got apprenticed."

Rusty went over and grabbed the mouse he'd caught, offering it to Graypaw "If I give you this mouse, will you tell me about your life?"

Graypaw snickered "Silly, you don't gotta give me prey for that, but it'd be real appreciated." he then layed down, then motioned for Rusty to follow, which he did.

"I live in this biiiig Clan called ThunderClan. We've got a leader and a medicine cat! Our leader's named Bluestar and she's a real wise one. We've got this big territory and- When you're six moons old you get apprenticed and then eventually you get to be a warrior! And-and if you live long enough you retire and go to the elders den!!" Graypaw jumped around with his words, but Rusty still appreciated it, and enjoyed listening. Honestly... he was more than a little bit interested.

Graypaw suddenly perked up, quickly sitting up. "I think Bluestar and Lionheart and coming back. You better go-" However, he didn't even get a chance to run, as two adult cats walked out of seemingly, to him, nowhere.

A golden tabby with thick fur around his neck, and a blue-gray molly with blue eyes. The golden tom walked over to Graystipe, bumping heads with him.

"Graypaw, you shouldn't wander so close to Twolegplace." Affection could be heard in the tom's voice, and Graypaw angled his ears back and giggled somewhat nervously "Sorry..."

"Who are you, little kittypet?" Meowed the big tom, and he nervously looked away "R-Rusty, sorry for being in your territory, I didn't know it was yours.."

"Rusty caught a mouse!" Graypaw chirped, and Bluestar padded over to him. "You caught a mouse? That's impressive for a kittypet. Especially with that around your neck."

He smiled, dipping his head thankfully "Thank you."

"A cat like you could make a great warrior, with training." He looked up at her, confused, but intrigued "I'd like to offer a new home in ThunderClan. It would require you give up your kittypet life however."

He was speechless, but eventually gathered up some words. "M-May I have time to think about it?" The molly nodded "Yes, but you must give us your answer by tomorrow."

The three cats left rather quickly, though Graypaw gave a purrt of a 'goodbye!', and like that, Rusty was left to his own thoughts.

He began to head back to his home. He was going to have a hard decision coming up, though part of him knew he'd already made it. But right now, he would head home, and enjoy whatever time he might have left there, with Smudge, and with his owners.

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to keep the start close to it's canon counterpart. I'll be able to truly diverge and let my imagination go wild in the next chapter!


End file.
